"Well -- And not to get too far ahead of you here, I know you haven't been here long. But my general philosophy for this place is that the sharing of knowledge can never be a bad thing. Maybe I end up gone tomorrow, and you'd one more person who knows at least a little about beekeeping." I shrug with a little self-deprecating wave of my hand, and then smirk. "But mostly, you just looked a little lost."

The apiaries aren't all that far from the inn if you cut behind the bakery, and it doesn't take long to get there. It would be great to have proper protective gear, but that's a concern for another day.

"You might want to hang back," I say with a knowing arch of my eyebrows as we step into the little clearing. At this point we're just trying to get the hive established before it gets too cold, so there aren't as many bees as I'd like, but it's still plenty enough to get yourself into trouble.

"What did you do back home, Bruce?" I ask as I step carefully to the box and slowly lift the lid.